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My friend Nenna has been on me to try Native Foods for the longest time, so we met there late Friday afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner.

Up until now, my favorite “healthy eating” spot was Tender Greens. Native Foods changed the game for me. Sorry, Tender Greens. You have been replaced. Native Foods has you beat on service, taste, portion size and price.

Nenna had the vegan nachos. They looked delicious, and she ended up taking most of it home.

I had an order of their sweet potato fries. They were perfectly seasoned for that just right combination of sweet and savory that you are looking or when you eat sweet potato fries.

For my main course (the sweet potato fries were my appetizer) I went with the Bangkok Curry Bowl which is “seared tofu steak on top of steamed veggies (I had carrots, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower), kale and brown rice with a lemongrass and ginger-infused coconut milk curry. Topped with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.” The dish is gluten-free and delicious. This portion size was so hefty, I had enough to eat for second dinner later at home.

For dessert, I went with the vegan carrot cake cupcake. I was skeptical, because I’ve had bad experiences with vegan desserts before, but this was divine! I could not eat the mountain of icing on the top, but I was perfectly fine without it. The cupcake itself was delicious, and would probably make a good sweet bread for breakfast without all the frosting.

My meal was accompanied by a watermelon mint agua fresca that was as refreshing as it was tasty.

My entire meal came to about $16 with appetizer, entree, drink and dessert. The same meal would have cost me more than $20 at Tender Greens, and the service (at least at the Culver City location) would not have been as swift or as pleasant. When you eat in, the servers bring your food to your table, and they keep coming back to check on you even though they don’t have to. I loved the atmosphere in the bright, airy restaurant.

I highly recommend Native Foods if you are in the downtown Culver City area and looking for a bite to eat.